Life – Lead.Learn.Live.

We are, in other words, one another’s virtual enablers

June 17, 2013 By David Kanigan 19 Comments

NY Times, Sunday, June 16, 2013: Facebook Made Me Do It (Excerpts)

…That feedback loop of positive reinforcement is the most addictive element of social media. All those retweets, likes and favorites give us a little jolt, a little boost that pushes us to keep coming back for more. It works whether or not we post the typical social media fodder of lush vacation pictures and engagement announcements or venture into realms that showcase our most daredevilish antics and risqué behavior.

…Our growing collective compulsion to document our lives and share them online, combined with the instant gratification that comes from seeing something you are doing or experiencing get near-immediate approval from your online peers, could be giving us more reason to act out online, for better or for worse.

…We are, in other words, one another’s virtual enablers.

…the vast amplification of the potential audience a single person can reach has raised the stakes for all online activity.

…“It’s performative.”

Source: The New York Times: Facebook Made Me Do It by Jenna Wortham, Technology reporter

Filed Under: Grow, Life, Quotes Tagged With: blogger, Blogging, Facebook, google, Jenna Wortham, likes, New York Times, Social Media, Technology, tumblr, Twitter, wordpress

Monday Morning Wake Up Call: Get up!

June 17, 2013 By David Kanigan 16 Comments

Source: gifsploitation

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: Dwight Schrute, Funny, gif, laugh, Michael Scott, Monday Morning, morning, The Office, wakeup call

Running. With Marc and Eddy Verbessem.

June 16, 2013 By David Kanigan 35 Comments

5:30 am. 59F. Birds up and singing in all their glory. It’s still. Very still.

I put on my Adidas running shorts. Rachel’s scolding from months back surfaces: “I can see your tan line. They’re too short. Those are Perv Shorts. Embarrassing. Go change.” I growl. Now, each time I put them on, I’m thinking Perv-Man. Words. Killer. What a delicate flower.

“What do you want to do for Father’s Day Dad?“
“I’d like to be left alone for the day.“
“Really?“
“Yes, if you could arrange for me to be sitting alone next to Thoreau, at Walden Pond, listening in on his thoughts, that would be a perfect Sunday.”
“Who? What?”
“Forget it Honey. Forget it.”
“Have to say Dad, you have to stop your incoherent mumbling.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: Aging, Belgium, Eddy Verbessem, Ernest Hemingway, euthanasia, Exercise, Family, Fitness, God, Gratitude, Health, heaven, Henry David Thoreau, inspiration, Inspire, Life, Lifestyle, living, Middle Age, Photography, Quotes, Run, Running, Story, Verbessem, Walden Pond, Wall Street Journal, Weight Loss, Workout

One day it will be pleasant to remember these things

June 16, 2013 By David Kanigan 8 Comments

“Nothing can be given or taken away; nothing has been added or subtracted; nothing increased or diminished. We stand on the same shore before the same mighty ocean. The ocean of love. There it is – in perpetuum. As much in a broken blossom, the sound of a waterfall, the swoop of a carrion bird as in the thunderous artillery of the prophet. We move with eyes shut and ears stopped; we smash walls where doors are waiting to open to the touch; we grope for ladders, forgetting that we have wings; we pray as if God were deaf and blind, as if He were in a space. No wonder the angels in our midst are unrecognizable.

One day it will be pleasant to remember these things.”

- Henry Miller, Nexus

Credits: Quote Source - whiskeyriver.blogspot.com. Photograph: Thank you sundoginthesky via Marco Matiussi (Flamingos @ Lake Nakuru in Africa)

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Nature, Quotes Tagged With: Africa, flamingos, God, Gratitude, Henry Miller, inspiration, lake nakuru, Life, living, Nakuru, Nature, Photography, Poem, Poetry, prose poetry, Quotes, Religion, remember

Sunday Morning: May be the last time I hear music

June 16, 2013 By David Kanigan 15 Comments

Behind the Numbers : Drs. Dalene & Arne Von Delft from Kendy on Vimeo.

Filed Under: Inspire, Life Tagged With: delft, disease, Health, hearing, Hope, inspiration, Life, living, Love, South Africa, Story, TB, tuberculous, Video, Vimeo

Guess who graduated? With a fancy badge and diploma too…

June 15, 2013 By David Kanigan 26 Comments

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority put its best paws forward Friday, graduating a new class of police dogs at Grand Central Terminal in New York. Each dog received a collar, which includes the dog’s badge.
The eight pooches have gone through an extensive 14 week training program and were taught how to detect explosives and work in crowded spaces.
The new members of the K-9 force are being named after an officer or soldier who fell in the line of duty, including Glen (pictured above), who was named for Officer Glen Pettit who died in the line of duty. And “Buck” who is named after Gregory Buckley, a Marine who was killed in Afghanistan.
Family members of officers who died in the line of duty, received a placard noting that a new dog in the unit had been named in the officer’s honor.
“I’m very, very proud. Especially that they’re honoring my son – my fallen hero. They’re naming him after him,” said Buckley’s mother, Marina Buckley.
There are 50 dogs patrolling the Long Island Railroad, Metro-North and other facilities.
See more pictures of the graduates accepting their diplomas and a short video clip of the event at this link.

Sources: NYDailyNews, NY1.com,

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Nature Tagged With: Dog, German Shepard, Grand Central Terminal, Inspirational, K9, line of duty, Metro-North Railroad, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police, Photography, police, Police dog, police dogs, pooches

SMWI*: Playground, Italy

June 15, 2013 By David Kanigan 14 Comments

Playground, Italy from Matty Brown on Vimeo.

Incredible. When can we go?!

SMWI* = Saturday Morning Workout Inspiration

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Nature Tagged With: alps, Biking, Exercise, fit, Fitness, hiking, inspiration, Italy, morning workout, mountain biking, mountains, Nature, Photography, ride, Run, saturday morning, Trentino, Video, Vimeo, walk, Walking, Weight Loss, Workout, YouTube

SMWI*: It’s simple. More in than out.

June 15, 2013 By David Kanigan 30 Comments

You read. Articles. Books. Magazines. Posts.

Much of it blows in one ear and out the other.

Not this one. This article is from The Monthly and is titled Fat City. It has stuck with me since last weekend. It’s long but captivating. Seared in long term memory.

Karen Hitchcock is an Australian author and medical doctor.

A few excerpts:

Barring the gravely ill and a couple of men, everyone I know wants to lose weight.
As a doctor, I no longer know what to do about the obese.
people quit smoking, cut down on their drinking and sometimes lose weight. But usually counselling people to lose weight is hopeless.
and obesity seems simple: more in than out
love reading articles with titles like ‘How I Lost 25 Kilos’, even though the answer is always the same: I ate less.
Who wants to eat less – of anything – when food is so good and plentiful?
It’s hard to say no to something that is right in our faces, promising a bit of easy pleasure.
It is especially hard to say no when the consequences of overeating come about in such a distant, gradual and mysterious way.
I find it difficult to believe that an extra scoop of ice-cream will end up as fat somewhere on my body
If you make a fat person thin, you are sentencing them to a lifetime of hunger. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: current medical research, diet, Exercise, fat, Fat City, fit, Fitness, Gym, Health, Karen Hitchcock, obesity, Physical exercise, Run, The Monthly, walk, weight, Weight Loss, Workout

T.G.I.F.: Weekdays. Everyday.

June 14, 2013 By David Kanigan 15 Comments

Source: HugeLOL

Filed Under: Art, Grow, Life Tagged With: eat, Funny, gif, laugh, Life, Sleep, T.G.I.F., TGIF, true, Work

T.G.I.F.: Parallel Parking Gone Wrong

June 14, 2013 By David Kanigan 27 Comments

Date: June 12, 2013
Location: San Rafael, California
Outcome: No one hurt.
Situation: 93-year old woman is attempting to parallel park.
Hero: 18-month old seeing eye guide dog (a Lab) who spots the parallel parker. (Watch dog sense incoming disaster.)
Summary: WOW! (Watched this 6x)

Source: Thank you Eric

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: blind, Dog, drive, driving, labrador, Parallel Park, parallel parking, Parking, T.G.I.F., TGIF, Video, YouTube

What? Absolutely nothing.

June 13, 2013 By David Kanigan 16 Comments

Source: Hungariansoul

Filed Under: Art, Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: dinner, eat, Food, Funny, gif, hungry, meal, Pooh Bear, true, winnie the pooh

I walk the line

June 13, 2013 By David Kanigan 32 Comments

…I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you’re mine, I walk the line…

~ Johnny Cash, I Walk the Line

Image Source: 9gag.com

Filed Under: Art, Inspire, Life Tagged With: Art, Balance, Brain, decisions, emotion, head, heart, I walk the line, illustration, Johnny Cash, Life, living, Passion, Plan, rational, Work

Is it any wonder…

June 12, 2013 By David Kanigan 22 Comments

…that this company prints money.

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Music Tagged With: Apple, Computers, design, feel, Ipad, mac, Technology, Video, YouTube

A Love Letter from Kafka

June 11, 2013 By David Kanigan 8 Comments

Franz Kafka’s signature in a letter to Milena Jesenská. It reads:

Franz wrong, F wrong, Yours wrong
nothing more, calm, deep forest

Prague

July 29, 1920.

In 1919, Milena Jesenská was working as a translator. She discovered a short story (The Stoker) by Prague writer Franz Kafka, and wrote him to ask for permission to translate it from German to Czech. The letter launched an intense and increasingly passionate correspondence. Jesenská and Kafka met twice: they spent four days in Vienna and later a day in Gmünd. Eventually Kafka broke off the relationship, partly because Jesenská was unable to leave her husband, and their almost daily communication ceased abruptly in November 1920. They meant so much to each other, however, that they did exchange a few more letters in 1922 and 1923 (and Kafka turned over to Jesenská his diaries at the end of his life). Kafka is regarded by critics as one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. It is generally agreed that Kafka suffered from clinical depression and social anxiety throughout his entire life. (Source: Wiki)

Source: Journal of a Nobody

Filed Under: Books, Grow, Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: Franz Kafka, Kafka, letter, Love, love letter, Mental health, Milena Jesenská, romance, Social anxiety, write, Writer, Writing

Less

June 11, 2013 By David Kanigan 18 Comments

Your Miscellaneous Way

Occupying your own skin with joy,
I watch you
listen to yourself living,
discovering each day
how much less of everything
steadies you into being.

- Terrance Keenan

Credits: Image – Mme Scherzo. Quote: Whiskey River. More on Terrance Keenan @ this link.

Filed Under: Quotes, Inspire, Grow, Life Tagged With: Peace, Life, Gratitude, Middle Age, Poetry, Zen, Photography, Poem, joy, Black and White, moment, portrait, Dove, Terrance Keenan, Less, discover

Take Grit (low bar)

June 11, 2013 By David Kanigan 8 Comments

Source: This Is Indexed
Related Posts: Angela Lee Duckworth – The Key to Success is Grit (Worthy!!!!)

Filed Under: Business, Inspire, Lead, Life Tagged With: abrasiveness, Chart, determination, grit, illustration, Indexed, Jessica Hagy, Personality, Success, Work

Are you common? Or rare?

June 10, 2013 By David Kanigan 43 Comments

The Patriarch of this household is less common (aka “special/rare”). The rest of the brood would be defined as common based on their birthdate. About right. See The Daily Viz for background on study and sample set. The chart has had more than 250,000 views. If you want to read more about this study, hit this link. Still wouldn’t change the end result. :)

Source: ilovecharts

Fall to your knees. Today.

June 10, 2013 By David Kanigan 16 Comments

“They say that every snowflake is different. If that were true, how could the world go on? How could we ever get up off our knees? How could we ever recover from the wonder of it?”

~ Jeanette Winterson

Bio: Jeanette Winterson, 53, is a writer, journalist and delicatessen owner. She was born in Manchester, England, and adopted by Pentecostal parents who brought her up in the nearby mill-town of Accrington. Intending to become a Pentecostal Christian missionary, she began evangelising and writing sermons at age six. As a Northern working class girl she was not encouraged to be clever. Her adopted father was a factory worker, her mother stayed at home. There were only six books in the house, including the Bible and Cruden’s Complete Concordance to the Old and New Testaments. Strangely, one of the other books was Malory’s Morte d’Arthur, and it was this that started her life quest of reading and writing. The house had no bathroom either, which was fortunate because it meant that Jeanette could read her books by flashlight in the outside toilet. Reading was not much approved unless it was the Bible. Her parents intended her for the missionary field. Schooling was erratic but Jeanette had got herself into a girl’s grammar school and later she read English at Oxford University. While she took her A levels she lived in various places, supporting herself by evening and weekend work. In a year off to earn money, she worked as a domestic in a lunatic asylum.

Credits: Image – Thank you HungarianSoul. Quote: Thank you Whiskey River. Jeanette Winterson Bio @ this link and Wiki.

Filed Under: Art, Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: God, Gratitude, Inspirational, Jeanette Winterson, Life, living, Miracle, Poem, Poet, Poetry, Quotes, snowflake, wonder

Monday Morning Wake-up Call: He ain’t heavy. He’s my brother.

June 10, 2013 By David Kanigan 23 Comments

Source: themetapicture.com

Filed Under: Art, Inspire, Life Tagged With: boy, child, cute, Dog, hound dog, Inspirational, Monday Morning, morning, Photography, sleeping, sleepy, wake-up call

Pie. Period.

June 9, 2013 By David Kanigan 24 Comments

Macadamia Key Lime Pie.

Two new twists on an old summer time favorite – shortbread cookie crust and the addition of chopped Macadamia Nuts.

Smooth. Sweet. Tangy (but not overly so).

And, crunchy.

Calorie count? If you need to ask, move on.

HIGHLY recommended.

Macadamia Key Lime Pie Recipe recipe,cook,food, dessert,sweet

Source: Taste of Home

Filed Under: Inspire, Life Tagged With: Calorie Count, Cooking, craving, dessert, Food, key lime, Key Lime Pie, macadamia, pie, Recipe, shortbread cookie crust, summer, summer time, Sweet, taste of home

Looking it in the Face

June 9, 2013 By David Kanigan 17 Comments

“Once she stops pestering me, I steal a peek at the clock and can’t believe my eyes. They say that time goes faster after you pass sixty. No question about it, it’s true. Where are the long, lazy summers of my youth when I sat moping from morning till night unable to think of anything interesting to do? I recollect walking up to a mirror and repeating with greater and greater conviction, “Life is boring.” On such days, the old clock barely budged, just to spite me. You fool, I’m thinking today, that was pure bliss. The mystery of happiness was right there in that cheap clock your mother bought at Woolworth. Time graciously came to a stop in it; eternity threw open its doors and you hesitated or grew wary on its threshold and breathed a sigh of relief when the door shut in your face and the hand of the clock moved on.”

“Of course, I never really believed it would happen. Grow old, I mean. I knew it was coming, saw the evidence of it in my friends and relatives, but despite that, I acted as if aging had nothing to do with me. Even having people congratulate me on my seventy-fifth birthday doesn’t sound right to me. Either they or I must have screwed up the count somewhere along the way. Knowing the truth, of course, is better than fooling oneself, but who wants to look truth in the face every morning?…” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: Aging, Charles Simic, Life, Middle Age, mortality, old, Poet, Poetry, Quotes, retired

Sunday Morning: Haleakala. House of the Sun

June 9, 2013 By David Kanigan 24 Comments

“On a recent trip to Maui, I had the opportunity to visit the world’s largest dormant volcano – Haleakala. The size of this volcano is massive – Manhattan could fit inside. I’m still in shock at how awesome this place is. Arriving before sunrise, I placed a few cameras out in hopes to capture what people refer to as, “The most beautiful sunrise in the world.” People gather from around the globe to witness this kaleidoscope of shifting colors – known as the “House of the Sun”. My hope is to give you a small glimpse of the energy, excitement and elegance this natural marvel brings.” Good Sunday Morning.

House of the Sun from Dan Douglas on Vimeo.

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Nature, Quotes Tagged With: clouds, Haleakala, Hawaii, House of the Sun, Inspirational, Maui, Photography, Sun, sunrise, time lapse, Vimeo, volcano

SMWI*: Now if this doesn’t get you off the couch…

June 8, 2013 By David Kanigan 16 Comments

Source: nbcnews.com. May 17, 2013. Excerpts from new research in a study on more than 17,000 men:

Fitness can protect you from cancer — even 20 or more years down the road
Men who were the most fit in middle age were the least likely to die a quarter century later even if they were unlucky enough to get cancer
Men who were the most fit at age 50 back in the 1970s were the least likely to develop lung or colon cancer 20 to 25 years later
Men who did get lung, colon or prostate cancer, the fitter they were in their early 50s, the less likely they were to die of it.
Two things you can’t change are your genes and your age,’ she said. “But you can get more fit.
This important study establishes cardiorespiratory fitness as an independent and strong predictor of cancer risk and prognosis in men
These results indicate that people can reduce their risk of cancer with relatively small lifestyle changes.”
Many studies have shown that exercise lowers the risk of cancer, but this one is one of the first to show it can also reduce the risk of dying from cancer.

Saturday Morning Workout Inspiration: Not Exactly.

June 8, 2013 By David Kanigan 29 Comments

Source: Hungariansoul

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: aerobics, Exercise, Fitness, Funny, gif, Gym, ice cream, laugh, Running, Weight Loss, Workout

Today’s Weather

June 7, 2013 By David Kanigan 19 Comments

today's weather

Source: Weather – Google. Frog – themetapicture.com

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Nature Tagged With: cute, Frog, google, Nature, Photography, Rain, shelter, Weather

Yep, on point.

June 6, 2013 By David Kanigan 25 Comments

Source: themetapicture.com

Filed Under: Lead, Life, Quotes Tagged With: Communication, Funny, People, Relationships, struggle, tough day, true, Work

Words

June 6, 2013 By David Kanigan 61 Comments

Yesterday. Marathon meeting starting at 8am. A single topic, full day meeting ending at 3pm. Tight agenda on an important subject. Full engagement by all participants. Constructive collaborative discussion. Good meeting. Yes, an Oxymoron.

We finish our working lunch and continue at a workmanlike pace chopping through the agenda. My mind drifts. Back to a moment in 1985. A moment drifting into consciousness hundreds (1000′s?) of times. (Can it really be 28 years ago? You’ve deeply regretted so many other foot-in-mouth-moments. Why does this painful one keep coming back?)

WW*: Experiencing Grock This Morning

June 5, 2013 By David Kanigan 22 Comments

WW*= Wacky Wednesday.
Source: theemotionary. Grody definition: “repulsive; disgusting; nauseating.“
Related Posts: Are you illogimote?

Filed Under: Life, Quotes Tagged With: definition, Funny, gif, grody, laugh, Photography, wacky wednesday, words

4:22 am. And Inspired.

June 5, 2013 By David Kanigan 20 Comments

Good Wednesday morning. Here we go on my ride of inspiring posts of the week:

LouAnn @ On The Home Front with her post titled Remembering June: “… Remember June when you were a kid? It was warm outside and the last thing you wanted to do was sit in a classroom. Yet, you had to endure exams even if you wanted to be playing baseball, or skipping rope, or just doing nothing. Remember when exams were over, and it seemed silly to still be in school? ....Read more of this nostalgic post at this link.
Sandy Sue @ A Mind Divided with her post Finding the Rhythm: “…We become mesmerized by the details of our lives, by our hardships, by our opinions and beliefs. Our minds race to find evidence to shore up our convictions. We suffer and claim the suffering of others. But we can feel it, the offness of it. We are out of sync, forcing a rhythm that is not ours. We pile on more tasks, enlarge our circle of worry, to distract us from the discomfort. It doesn’t occur to us to stop. We slide over that notion, because to stop would be too painful. To stop would threaten all we believe about ourselves and the world. To stop might invite change…” Read more of this wonderful post @ this link.
Ray @ A Simple, Village Undertaker with his post: Point – Dad: ”…A teenage boy had just passed his driving test and inquired of his father as to when they could discuss his use of the car. His father said he’d make a deal with his son: “You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible, and get your hair cut. Then we’ll talk about the car.”” If you are a Parent, you’ll enjoy the rest of this story at this link. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Grow, Inspire, Lead, Life, Nature, Quotes Tagged With: Bloggers, Blogging, Inspirational, inspirations, memories, Middle Age, Photography, Poem, Poetry, sunrise, Writer, Writing

#1 Secret to Parenting

June 4, 2013 By David Kanigan 17 Comments

Source: ossahumiliata.tumblr.com

Filed Under: Life, Quotes Tagged With: Children, discipline, Funny, kids, laugh, Middle Age, Parent, Parenting, Parents

I will affirm the good until it sinks in and feels real

June 4, 2013 By David Kanigan 24 Comments

“…Help me let go of my need to stay immersed in negativity. I can change the energy in myself and my environment from negative to positive. I will affirm the good until it sinks in and feels real. I will also strive to find one quality that I like about someone else who’s important to me, and I will take the risk of telling him or her that.”

~ Melody Beattie

I may be the only one on the planet who didn’t know about Melanie Beattie’s back story. And what an incredible story she has. Here’s more than a few excerpts from her bio on her blog page:

Melody Beattie, is the author of the international self help best seller titled Codependent No More where she introduced the psychological condition called “codependency.” Over eight million copies of the book have been sold worldwide. Millions of readers have trusted Melody’s words of wisdom and guidance because she knows firsthand what they’re going through. In her lifetime, she has survived abandonment, kidnapping, sexual abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, divorce, and the death of a child. “Beattie understands being overboard, which helps her throw bestselling lifelines to those still adrift,” said Time Magazine. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: abuse, Alcoholism, Beattie, Codependency, death of a child, drug and alcohol, drug and alcohol addiction, grief, loss, Melody Beattie, psychological condition, Quotes, Sexual abuse

Orca Fireworks

June 3, 2013 By David Kanigan 12 Comments

Grindtv.com: “Visitors to marine parks have watched orcas perform all kinds of cute and fun tricks, but these sleek and powerful mammals perform their greatest acrobatics in the wild, without artificial stimulus. Capt. Garry Henkel of Aboriginal Journeys proved this emphatically with a spectacular set images captured last week off Campbell River, British Columbia. But even Henkel said he had never enjoyed a show quite like this one. “I’ve been on the water 40 years as a commercial fisherman, and the past 15 as a tour guide,” he said. “And this was by far the best show I’ve ever seen.” Henkel was leading a tour with eight passengers aboard a 28-foot boat, Laker II, on the back side of Quadra Island, when they encountered two family groups of orcas—about 12 total.

See the entire series of photos on the Aboriginal Journeys Facebook page or on Grindtv.com.

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Nature, Quotes Tagged With: Aboriginal Journeys, British Columbia, campbell river, Campbell River British Columbia, Canada, Killer whale, orca, Photography, Quadra Island, Tour guide, Whale

Monday Morning Wake-Up Call: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

June 3, 2013 By David Kanigan 17 Comments

Source: Head Like An Orange

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Nature Tagged With: cute, emperor penguin, Funny, gif, jump, Monday Morning, morning, Nature, Penguin, wake-up call

Water

June 2, 2013 By David Kanigan 23 Comments

Circa 1998.

Miami.

July.

Sundays.

Eric is four. Relentless. “Come on Dad. It’s time to go swimming.” Pulling on my hand. “Come on Dad. Dad, come on!”

The marble floor in the bathroom is cool and smooth on our bare feet. I watch him struggle tugging on his suit. His little white bottom contrasting against his milk chocolate tan lines. He lets out a whimper in frustration as he can’t pull on his swim shirt.

We step outside.

We had lived in Miami for four years. The sweltering summer heat was still a shock. Swallowing up oxygen. Mixing with the heavy pool chlorine…filling nostrils and lungs.

10am. 91F. And there is still August to go.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: chill, Family, Fathers, Inspire, Melanie Rehak, memories, moment, Parent, Parenting, Peace, Photography, Poem, Poetry, Relax, Son, Story, swim, Water, Zen

Sunday Morning: The Last Ice Merchant

June 2, 2013 By David Kanigan 11 Comments

The Last Ice Merchant (El Último Hielero) from Sandy Patch on Vimeo.

This is an award winning short film. And deservedly so. It is long but worthy. A wonderful story of the life of Baltazar Ushca, who for more than 50 years has harvested the glacial ice of Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo to make a living. Beautiful cinematography. Charles Kuralt-like clip.

Good Sunday morning.

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: awards, Ecuador, Film, Glacier, ice, Inspirational, Last Ice Merchant, Mount Chimborazo, Photography, short film, Sunday, Video, Vimeo

If you start feeding the beast…

June 1, 2013 By David Kanigan 26 Comments

Thank you Mme Scherzo via Nashvillesky.com

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Nature Tagged With: Animal, Baby, child, cute, Dog, gif, kisses, Kissing, labrador, licking, memories, Parents, Photography

SMWI*: Just Do it!

June 1, 2013 By David Kanigan 24 Comments

SMWI*: Saturday Morning Workout Inspiration. Spoof of Nike’s “swoosh” symbol and “Just Do It” exercise ad campaign.
Source: TheMetaPicture

Filed Under: Art, Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: crossfit, Exercise, Fitness, Funny, Gym, Health, healthy-living, Homer, Homer Simpson, Just do it; swoosh, morning workout, Nike, Physical exercise, rum, Running, Sports, Training, true, Weight Loss

Disney 2013. A Reflection.

May 31, 2013 By David Kanigan 25 Comments

Magic Kingdom

Traffic. People. People. People. Lines. Lines. Lines. Fast Pass. Strollers. Wheelchairs. Electric scooters. Cameras. iPhones. Texting.

Sun. Heat. Humidity. Sunscreen. Afternoon Rains. Ponchos. Sticky.

Hot dogs. Corn dogs. Burgers. Chili cheese fries. Soft serve ice cream. Asian Chicken wings. Spicy Chicken Sandwiches. Coke (diet). Frozen Minute Made lemonade. Turkey Legs (NOT!). Indigestion.

Test Track. Splash Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Tower of Terror. Expedition Everest. Dinosaur. Kali River Rapids. Dad sits them all out. Nauseous just watching.

Old favorites. Kilimanjaro Safari. Haunted Mansion. Pirates of Caribbean. Jungle Cruise. Epcot. Parades. Marching Bands. Fireworks.

Exhaustion.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Grow, Inspire, Life, Nature Tagged With: Birds, Children, disney, Family, Harris Hawk, memories, Middle Age, Nature, Photography, Story, vacation, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Company

Where is everybody? Inside your breast and skin, the entire cast.

May 31, 2013 By David Kanigan 18 Comments

“And now here’s the thing. It takes a time like this for you to find out how sore your heart has been, and, moreover, all the while you thought you were going around idle terribly hard work was taking place. Hard, hard work, excavation and digging, mining, moiling through tunnels, heaving, pushing, moving rock, working, working, working, working, panting, hauling, hoisting. And none of this work is seen from the outside. It’s internally done. It happens because you are powerless and unable to get anywhere, to obtain justice or have requital, and therefore in yourself you labor, you wage and combat, settle scores, remember insults, fight, reply, deny, blab, denounce, triumph, outwit, overcome, vindicate, cry, persist, absolve, die and rise again. All by yourself? Where is everybody? Inside your breast and skin, the entire cast.”

- Saul Bellow

Saul Bellow (1915 – 2005) was a Canadian-born American writer. He was born in Lachine, Quebec and died in Brookline, MA. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. He is widely regarded as one of the 20th century’s greatest authors. Bellow grew up as an insolent slum kid, a “thick-necked” rowdy, and an immigrant from Quebec. As Christopher Hitchens describes it, Bellow’s fiction and principal characters reflect his own yearning for transcendence, a battle “to overcome not just ghetto conditions but also ghetto psychoses. The author’s works speak to the disorienting nature of modern civilization, and the countervailing ability of humans to overcome their frailty and achieve greatness (or at least awareness). Bellow saw many flaws in modern civilization, and its ability to foster madness, materialism and misleading knowledge. Principal characters in Bellow’s fiction have heroic potential, and many times they stand in contrast to the negative forces of society. (Source: Wiki)

Credits: Image – Flavorwire. Quote: WhiskeyRiver

Filed Under: Books, Grow, Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: Anger, Bellow, forgive, Life, living, Mental health, Poetry, prose poetry, Quotes, Saul Bellow, thinking, thoughts, Work

T.G.I.F.: Eat breakfast. Then think about getting up.

May 31, 2013 By David Kanigan 14 Comments

funny-gif-sloth-eat-carrot-lazy

Eat a few carrots. Build up a head of steam to get to the 5pm bell. There’s no point in rushing these things you know.

Source: themetapicture

T.G.I.F.: 5:00 P.M. Whistle!

Filed Under: Life, Nature, Quotes Tagged With: Animal, breakfast, carrots, eat, Funny, gif, sloth, T.G.I.F., TGIF

5:33 am. And Inspired.

May 30, 2013 By David Kanigan 14 Comments

Good Thursday morning. Here we go on my ride of inspiring posts of the week:

Diana Schwenk @ Talk to Diana with her post titled What Can Compare to Love?: “…Ahh the beautiful things I have seen; like sunsets/rises, the detailed design and brilliant colours on butterflies, the turquoise lakes in the Canadian Rocky Mountains…and the beautiful sounds I have heard; like the waves crashing on the shore, the wind blowing through autumn leaves, the crickets’ song at night, a lone wolf howling at the moon…and the beautiful textures I have touched or been touched by; walking barefoot on lush grass, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face, the cleansing coolness of water on a hot day…and the beautiful things I have tasted; like a crisp and juicy apple freshly picked from a tree, bread fresh from the oven slathered in butter, a cold beer on a hot day...Read more of this wonderful post at this link.
Katy @ k8edid with her post Stuck in the Middle (Age) With You: “…#4 Half the Distance Takes You Twice as Long: I can no longer open jars by myself, my eyesight is failing faster than my vision insurance covers new lenses, and my teeth are wearing down. I have fillings older than many billionaire CEO whippersnappers and they are working loose at an alarming rate (the fillings – not the CEOs). My joints are achy and any rapid movements could land me in traction. While I don’t yet need a hover-round, I am not exactly zipping about on foot, either. I’ve traded sexy shoes for comfortable ones. I spend 2 hours a day on exercise – an hour dreading it, half an hour trying to talk myself into it (by promising myself a bowl of ice cream afterward), and 30 minutes letting the dog drag me down the sidewalk”…Wonderful post (true and funny). Read more @ this link.
Dr. James Stratford @ Beyond the Call with his post: Finding our Bliss: ”We’ve all had them, those moments when we’re reminded just why it is that we love what we do…When we find our bliss we find what we love, we connect with it at a deep level, and through it we experience more of ourselves just as we also let go of any fears or doubts.” Read about his Dr. Stratford’s specific moments of bliss at this link. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Grow, Inspire, Lead, Life, Nature, Quotes Tagged With: Bloggers, Blogging, Butterfly, Eiffel Tower, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Inspirational, inspirations, koala, memories, Middle Age, Photography, Poem, Poetry, Rain, sunrise, Writer, Writing

This is now, and now, and now.

May 30, 2013 By David Kanigan 14 Comments

“Remember, remember, this is now, and now, and now. Live it, feel it, cling to it. I want to become acutely aware of all I’ve taken for granted.”

~ Sylvia Plath

Credits: Portrait by Theo Papadopoulos. Quote – Poetoaster.

Filed Under: Art, Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: aware, awareness, Black and White, Gratitude, Live, living, now, Photography, present, Quotes, Sylvia Plath

Dinner? Mexican please…

May 29, 2013 By David Kanigan 10 Comments

Mexican Cuisine from Fran Guijarro on Vimeo.

…and when trying their recipes
one is left with an unforgettable taste
of humility,
achievement,
and pride…

Yes, that’s it. Exactly what I taste when eating Mexican food.

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: cook, dinner, Food, hungry, Mexican, mexican cuisine, mexican food, Mexico, recipes, Video, Vimeo

Guess what day it is?

May 29, 2013 By David Kanigan 24 Comments

LOVED THIS!

Thanks Rachel.

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Nature Tagged With: camel, Funny, Geico, Hump Day, Video, Wednesday, youtube video

Are you illogimote?

May 28, 2013 By David Kanigan 14 Comments

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Grow, Life, Quotes Tagged With: define, definition, emotion, feelings, Language, Psychology, words

Can’t Get Up After Long Weekend?

May 28, 2013 By David Kanigan 12 Comments

How about some encouragement licks? Good morning.

Source: themetapicture.com

Filed Under: Art, Inspire, Life, Nature Tagged With: Animal, Baby, cute, gif, Giraffe, Monday, morning, Nature, wakeup call

Silence on this Day

May 27, 2013 By David Kanigan 18 Comments

I found today’s editorial message in the NY Times to poignantly yet beautifully capture the spirit of today.

“If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the silence at the heart of Memorial Day — the inward turn that thoughts take on a day set aside to honor the men and women who have died in the service of this country.

It is the silence of soldiers who have not yet been, and may never be, able to talk about what they learned in war, the silence of grief so familiar that it feels like a second heartbeat. This is a day for acknowledging, publicly, the private memorial days that lie scattered throughout the year, a day when all the military graves are tended to, even the ones that someone tends to regularly as a way of remembering.

It always seems strange the way the fond, sober gestures of memory coincide with the last flush of spring, while the trees are still lit from within by their chartreuse leaves. The year is still rising, just. And yet it is something you often see recorded in the books and diaries of men and women at war — the sharp interruption of beauty, the moments, hours even, when the vivid tenacity of life itself feels most tangible, even in the midst of death. On a bright, beautiful Memorial Day, you feel, as clearly as you may ever feel, the profound separation between the living and the dead. This is the strangeness of the day, because that separation is a source of both joy and loss. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Quotes Tagged With: Arlington National Cemetery, Army, Country, Death, editorial, Marine, Memorial Day, memory, New York Times, Photography, remember, soldier, Spring, The New York Times, War

Raspberry Twist. On an old classic. Lapping it up.

May 26, 2013 By David Kanigan 25 Comments

The story was titled: Martin Picard’s Fried Pancakes with Warm Maple Cream Syrup.

My Food-dar Radar was SCREAMING. STOP! READ! Goodness ahead.

Martin Picard, is a Montreal chef, who has devoted his newest restaurant, Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon (in English he calls it Sugar Shack), to celebrating maple syrup. In the article, he shares a recipe for deep-fried pancakes with a warm cream and raspberry maple syrup.

The story here, in my opinion, is not Picard’s pancakes. No. No. No Sir. Way, way too much work.

Go ahead and make your usual pancakes. From scratch. Aunt Jemima. Whatever.

Make the syrup as instructed in the recipe below. Only recommended change: Double up (or Triple) the raspberries.

If there is a God, he eats his pancakes with WARM CREAM AND RASPBERRY MAPLE SYRUP.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Inspire, Life Tagged With: breakfast, chef, craving, Food, maple syrup, Martin Picard, Montreal, Pancake, pancakes, Photography, raspberries, Recipe, Sweet, syrup

Running. With Better Than…

May 26, 2013 By David Kanigan 20 Comments

It’s Saturday. 5:30 am. 45F. Drizzling.

Zeke is up early. Which means his keeper (Susan) is too. She’s at the kitchen table sipping coffee and reading The Times. He’s looking up at her, being cute, sitting like Royalty, waiting for a hand-out. It’s Banana today. Dog loves bananas. Who knew?

He watches me warily. It has become the weekend routine. He sits between his Mom’s legs. Growls at me. Signaling, No way in H*ll I’m going out with you. No Way. Fur is up at the back of his neck. I approach. “Let’s go Bud. Let’s go for a run.” He shows me his teeth…and emits a low raspy growl. And then another. Yep. Pure bred running dog. This is what it’s come to.

On with the gear. Accessories first. Garmin GPS. iPod. Ear Phones. Water bottle into black waist pouch. Then on with the suit. Black running pants. Black rain slicker. Black Baseball cap (not water proof). Red and Black Brooks running shoes. Batman is ready. The Dark Knight Rides. He’s off.

Mile One. It’s drizzling. But manageable. Light rain and mist. Feels refreshing on the skin. Miles. I’m going to do Miles today. [Read more...]